diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Extension.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Extension.java
index 8588dad85b..7a7b971c4c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Extension.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Extension.java
@@ -68,4 +68,13 @@ import java.lang.annotation.Target;
 @Target({TYPE, FIELD, METHOD})
 @Documented
 public @interface Extension {
+    /**
+     * Used for sorting extensions.
+     *
+     * Extensions will be sorted in the descending order of the ordinal.
+     * This is a rather poor approach to the problem, so its use is generally discouraged.
+     *
+     * @since 1.306
+     */
+    double ordinal() default 0;
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/ExtensionList.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/ExtensionList.java
index 65355cf7f7..f3c1849c0d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/ExtensionList.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/ExtensionList.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Vector;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
 
 /**
@@ -199,6 +200,20 @@ public class ExtensionList<T> extends AbstractList<T> {
      * The implementation should copy a list, do a sort, and return the new instance.
      */
     protected List<T> sort(List<T> r) {
+        r = new ArrayList<T>(r);
+        Collections.sort(r,new Comparator<T>() {
+            public int compare(T lhs, T rhs) {
+                Extension el = lhs.getClass().getAnnotation(Extension.class);
+                Extension er = rhs.getClass().getAnnotation(Extension.class);
+                // Extension used to be Retention.SOURCE, and we may also end up loading extensions from other places
+                // like Plexus that don't have any annotations, so we need to be defensive
+                double l = el!=null ? el.ordinal() : 0;
+                double r = er!=null ? er.ordinal() : 0;
+                if(l>r) return -1;
+                if(l<r) return 1;
+                return 0;
+            }
+        });
         return r;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/FreeStyleProject.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/FreeStyleProject.java
index d13a25bc2e..51e33d0108 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/FreeStyleProject.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/model/FreeStyleProject.java
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public class FreeStyleProject extends Project<FreeStyleProject,FreeStyleBuild> i
         return DESCRIPTOR;
     }
 
-    @Extension
+    @Extension(ordinal=1000)
     public static final DescriptorImpl DESCRIPTOR = new DescriptorImpl();
 
     public static final class DescriptorImpl extends AbstractProjectDescriptor {
diff --git a/maven-plugin/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenModuleSet.java b/maven-plugin/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenModuleSet.java
index c0e3e58968..167683c544 100644
--- a/maven-plugin/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenModuleSet.java
+++ b/maven-plugin/src/main/java/hudson/maven/MavenModuleSet.java
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ public final class MavenModuleSet extends AbstractMavenProject<MavenModuleSet,Ma
         return DESCRIPTOR;
     }
 
-    @Extension
+    @Extension(ordinal=900)
     public static final DescriptorImpl DESCRIPTOR = new DescriptorImpl();
 
     public static final class DescriptorImpl extends AbstractProjectDescriptor {